


Robert Locked Out

by smittenwithsugden



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 07:11:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10212278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenwithsugden/pseuds/smittenwithsugden
Summary: Different conversations between Robert and other villagers while Aaron is in prison.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Every chapter will have exactly 1.000 words. Please leave comments on who you want to see Robert interact with.

“Can I get you anything else?” David asked.

“What is it with you people?” Robert snapped. “Can’t I just sit here and drink a glass of wine in peace?”

“Oh wow, testy, aren’t we?” David said and raised his hand in mock surrender. “I was actually just trying to be a good waiter/bartender/host, whatever you call it.”

Robert sighed and shook his head. “Okay. And no, I’m good.”

David backed off again behind his counter. He never did talk to Robert Sugden, he realized. Well, not more than the usual ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ and ‘that’ll be 13,45 thanks’. He never seemed to be that interested in socializing with the rest of the village. David was just contemplating going over there again because Robert actually looked like he could use some cheering up when Tracy came stomping down.

“David!” she shrieked. “You left your dirty socks on the bathroom floor again! I am not your maid! Pick them up and throw them in the laundry bin, it is literally right there!” She didn’t even let him respond before stomping back off.

“Sorry, mate,” David said. “She gets a bit annoyed with me from time to time.”

“It’s all right,” Robert said. “I wish I would be getting yelled at for leaving socks on the bathroom floor.”

David felt awkward and uncomfortable and normally he would have backed off, but something about Robert made him step back around the counter. Maybe Robert looked a bit less intimidating clinging on to his glass of wine, looking like he would fall asleep any moment. He was far from his usual self-confident self.

David grabbed the bottle of red and walked over to him. He filled Robert’s glass back up and sat down opposite him.

“I didn’t order this,” Robert said.

“On the house,” David offered. “Being way from your spouse sucks, and I can imagine your situation is even worse.”

Robert clenched his jaw, David could see he was biting something back, struggling, until he just said: “Thanks.”

David waited, hoped Robert would give him more, something else to start a conversation with, but he said nothing. And so David rummaged through his brain, and tried to come up with something they might have in common.

“So…,” David started and then said the first thing that came to mind. “You slept with Nicola, too, hm?”

Robert’s head shot up and he scrunched his nose. “Really?” he asked annoyed. “After pitying me for being alone you wanna compare notes on women we slept with?”

“When you put it like that,” David said, “maybe rather not.”

“Yeah, no, I’d rather not,” Robert said.

“Maybe I should have slept with Aaron; that would fit more into the conversation, hm?” David said still trying to lighten the mood.

“Wow,” Robert just said and rolled his eyes. “You really have this down.”

“I know, I was just trying to…,” David started.

“Yeah, just don’t,” Robert interrupted him. 

“I had this friend,” David started again. “He was a real tough bloke, helped me out a couple of times with stuff. You remind me of him a bit, he was very… let’s say, eloquent. Could talk his way out of anything. He had a wife and a couple of kids, but he never really talked about them. And then one day his wife left him, took the kids and the tennis teacher and went off to Australia.”

“Wow,” Robert said sarcastically, “what an uplifting story. Aaron didn’t run off with anybody, this isn’t a choice either of us made.”

“I know,” David said, thrilled that he’d gotten Robert to open up a little bit. “The story isn’t over, though. So the guy breaks down, let’s everything go, his job, his friends, everything. Everybody was pretty surprised because we never knew how much he actually loved her. We thought she was just convenient.”

“Still not getting the point of that story,” Robert said and emptied his glass. For some reason, David didn’t want him to go and so he poured him another.

“My point is if we had known, we might have been able to help him better. Understand him better. I get keeping a relationship to yourself because of course, it’s a personal thing. And, well, you two started out in the most secretive way, but, yeah, sometimes it just helps to tell somebody else about that person a bit.”

Robert scoffed, not really believing him. “You do that? Go on and on about Tracy?”

“Sometimes, yeah. I guess it’s annoying sometimes, but it’s also fun and nice and it feels good to share it.”

Robert clenched his jaw again.

“And mostly, when Tracy is gone for some reason, I can tell somebody I miss this and that and they get it because they heard me talking about it before.”

“Hm,” Robert said and sipped his wine. Robert checked his phone, then looked around the shop, anywhere but at David and he thought he’d lost him. 

“Aaron slurps his cereal,” Robert said finally. “It used to drive me nuts, and now I do it, just to hear the sound of it in the morning.”

David smiled at that and Robert shook his head, “I sound pathetic.”

“No, you don’t,” David said. “You sound like you really miss your husband. I wouldn’t say that’s pathetic.”

“Thanks,” Robert said as he got up. “And thanks for…this. I better get going, though.”

He handed him a bill and David nodded, “Take care.”

Later that night Robert was laying on the sofa, phone in hand and looked at the last conversation between him and Aaron. It was from the day before their wedding, Robert had asked Aaron when he’d be home and he had replied with “Asap.” 

Robert thought about just writing to Aaron, but then he thought about what David had said and clicked on Vic’s name instead. 

“Aaron always mocks me for my cooking, even though I’m not bad, he always says I don’t come close to you.” Robert typed and hit send.


End file.
